Theoretical physicist JoAnne Hewett has been named director of Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) and will be joining Stony Brook University as a tenured faculty member in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and the C.N. Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics.
Brookhaven Science Associates (BSA), a partnership between Stony Brook University and Battelle Memorial Institute, has operated BNL for the United States Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science since 1998. Stony Brook is one of only eight universities with a role in running a national laboratory.
Hewett, the first female director to lead BNL, will join the laboratory this summer, where she will oversee a team of more than 2,800 scientists, engineers, technicians, and professionals working to address challenges in nuclear and high energy physics, clean energy and climate science, quantum computing, artificial intelligence, isotope production, accelerator science and technology, and national security. BNL is preparing to begin construction of the Electron-Ion Collider (EIC). This nuclear physics research facility will be built at BNL through a partnership among DOE, the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility and BNL.
Hewett comes to BNL from the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) National Accelerator Laboratory located at Stanford University in Menlo Park, CA, where she most recently served as associate lab director for fundamental physics and chief research officer. In that role, Hewett provided guidance for the DOE regarding science and policy. In addition, she has worked with the Program Advisory Committees of the Fermi National Accelerator Lab, the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics and the Cornell Electron Storage Ring.
“JoAnne’s capable leadership, experience and future-forward vision complements Brookhaven National Laboratory’s continued focus on scientific innovation and discovery,” said Stony Brook University President Maurie McInnis, co-chair of the BSA Board of Directors. “We’re pleased to welcome JoAnne to Stony Brook University where she will hold a faculty appointment with our nationally recognized Department of Physics and Astronomy and C.N. Yang Institute of Theoretical Physics, both which have had long-standing and critical connections to many major physics achievements at BNL. We look forward to the work she will do with our students who will be the beneficiaries of her deep experience as a scientist, educator and leader.”
“JoAnne’s extensive experience and leadership is ideally suited for advancing BNL’s research mission, including the oversight of the EIC construction project,” said Stony Brook University Vice President for Research Richard J. Reeder. “Through Stony Brook’s ongoing and unique relationship with BNL, Stony Brook students and faculty will be fortunate to have the opportunity to work firsthand with JoAnne as a member of our faculty and with this important center of research and innovation.”
“Over the past three decades, JoAnne Hewett’s work as a scientist, organizational leader and educator has increasingly placed her at the pinnacle of the physics world, making her an exceptional choice to lead Brookhaven National Laboratory,” said SUNY Chancellor John B. King, Jr. “As SUNY acts on our commitment to more diversity in STEM, the leadership of women like JoAnne is a point of pride and a beacon of hope for other women. The fact that JoAnne will also be a faculty member at Stony Brook will enhance our students’ unparalleled opportunities and access to cutting-edge research.”
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